Lassalle-Hof, Vienna, Public housing complex in Leopoldstadt, Austria
Lassalle-Hof is a municipal housing block bounded by Lassallestraße, Vorgartenstraße, Ybbsstraße and Radingerstraße in Leopoldstadt. The six-storey complex, except for its eight-storey residential tower, contains nine staircases grouped around a central courtyard and two side courtyards. The Lassallestraße front is stepped back several times and features oriel windows, blind arcades, round arches and stone vases in the main courtyard.
Lassalle-Hof was constructed between 1924 and 1926 as part of Vienna's ambitious social housing program, designed by architects Hubert Gessner, Hans Paar, and Fritz Waage following a municipal competition. The project emerged in response to severe housing shortages following World War One and became a model for modern social housing approaches in the city.
The complex is named after Ferdinand Lassalle, founder of the German Social Democratic movement, and a memorial plaque in the grounds commemorates him. The kindergarten founded at the complex still operates today as an integration centre for children aged 6 to 10, run by the City of Vienna's kindergartens. The KZ-Verband/VdA Wien also keeps an office in the building.
The site is easily accessible and well-served by public transportation in Leopoldstadt. The mix of residential spaces and on-site services makes it a functioning neighborhood district that can be explored on foot.
The residential tower was originally planned taller than the eight storeys built; its top floor housed a teaching centre and photo studio of the Austrian Naturfreunde. Destroyed in the Second World War, the tower was rebuilt in 1949. Plans to place Mario Petrucci's 1928 Lassalle monument in or before the complex were dropped as the site was judged unsuitable for a monumental statue; it went to the Winarskyhof in the 20th district instead.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,083 contributors worldwide.